The invention relates to static tire inflators for tubeless tires as used with high production wheel assembly and handling systems.
It is presently the practice to rapidly inflate tubeless tires on a production basis by displacing a tire bead from the wheel flange and injecting air into the tire around the bead, and examples of such tire inflation devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,779,397; 2,900,015; 2,910,017; 3,461,938 and 3,978,903. Such apparatus, as shown in 3,978,903, may include an annular air chamber as defined by seal rings engaging the wheel rim and tire sidewall which communicates with the interior of the tire at the tire bead, and pressurized air introduced into the chamber rapidly inflates the tire.
Previously known tubeless tire inflating apparatus of the aforementioned type, while able to rapidly inflate a tire, has, in the past, not overcome all of the problems encountered in the high pressure inflation of heavy duty truck tires wherein 60 to 90 psi inflation pressures are required. For instance, the prior inflators require large supplies of compressed air, are noisy and cannot accurately control the inflation air pressure. Additionally, known tubeless tire inflators of the aforementioned type cannot readily adapt themselves to variations in wheel sizes and widths, and it is often necessary to require time consuming shut downs in order to modify the apparatus to accommodate various wheel and tire sizes.